How to Use the Fill Flash on the Alpha 100

The Sony Alpha 100 is a powerful digital SLR with many features. The Fill Flash on the A100 is one of those features that can be used in both "Auto" or "Manual" mode.

A Fill Flash is used by forcing the built-in flash on the camera to fire in order to add supplemental lighting. You might need this when the subject is standing in front of a bright light source, like a window. If your camera is on "Auto" mode, it will choose an exposure that is good for the window, but leave the subject standing in front of it underexposed. Avoid these underexposed subjects by experimenting with the Fill Flash mode on your Sony Alpha 100.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    

   Turn on the A100's built-in flash by pulling it up. The flash is ready when the green "lighting bolt" icon appears at the bottom left of the view finder.

2. 
    

   Change the A100's flash mode by rotating the Function Dial (on the left-hand top of the camera body) to the "lighting bolt" icon and push the Fn button on the middle of the dial. Select the "lighting bolt" on the display screen with the left/right buttons. The screen will read "Fill-flash." Now the flash will fire each time you take a photo.

3. 
    

   Experiment with the "Slow Sync" function as a Fill Flash on the A100. This will automatically select a slower shutter speed with the flash and will light up more of the background. Push the "Slow Sync" button on the right-hand side of the camera body while taking the photo to use this feature. This will give you good Fill Flash results when shooting indoors in low light.

4. Don't worry about changing the settings back. The camera will return to Autoflash mode when the camera is powered off.

Resources

• Using Fill Flash
• Using Slow Sync